Twisted World
by VioletBlade11
Summary: As Rose Weasley prepares for her sixth year at Hogwarts, strange things start to happen to her at home. Flowers are speaking to her, Howlers come for her, and when she finds out the truth, it will turn her world upside down.
1. Space, Please

**Ch. 1-** **Space, Please**

I stand at the foot of the train, not daring to look back at my parents because if I do, the angry tears that are on the verge of crashing down definitely would. I can barely think straight, but I jolt back into reality when I'm shoved from behind.

"Watch it!" I say rather rudely, I am Rose Weasley after all. I don't do nice. Also, it is a very good tactic to prevent whoever the offender is from seeing my puffy eyes.

"Well aren't you just being an exceptionally cheeky person today!" A very amused, sickeningly cheerful, yet sarcastic voice says from behind me.

I sigh, not bothering to turn around since I know who it is now. _Why me? _I think remorsefully. Usually_ I can deal with him, but not today, of all days._ I continue up the stairs and manage not to look back, instead just finding the nearest compartment and sitting down in a seat away from the window to avoid looking out at my parents.

_That boy, _I fume, _is just like his father! They're both just so rude, arrogant, and just downright mean! _Of course, that was what Dad always said about their family. I can't really judge the entire family, seeing as I only know the son, but I've always assumed he was right since the boy had tormented me since I first met him.

Busy in my pissed off state, I didn't notice when _he _sat right down in the same carriage as me.

"All right there, Rose?" Scorpius Malfoy grins, obviously knowing I'm not. He loves to torment me; it has been a favourite hobby of his from the start of first year. Before returning the eye contact I mutter a quick, inaudible spell that shrinks my puffy eyes back to normal. That is seriously the best spell ever invented, at least for me, as the only thing I hate more than prats like Scorpius is crying in public. Afterwards, I make quick eye contact with him but then look elsewhere after seeing his eyes dancing mischievously at the thought of an interesting challenge. I will not give him that satisfaction.

"I'm bloody fine, no thanks to you, Malfoy," I seethe while looking anywhere but at him. I settle my gaze upon the décor of the train. The compartment is pretty nice, for an ancient train like the Hogwarts Express, though I suppose it really helps that the Express is kept up by magic. Glancing up and around me, still deliberately avoiding his teasing eyes, I see the new decorations that have been put up. I assume they're new because in the _Hogwarts: A History_, they never were mentioned in the section focused on the Hogwarts Express. And let me tell you, that book is pretty detailed. The paint is fresh, sort of like a dark coffee colour, though maybe everything looks that colour to me since I'm so bloody addicted to that drink. They have a lighter shade of brown, quite possibly a tan colour as a border, and then just black, wavy designs that I try to find supremely interesting. My other option is to look at him. I don't really know why he gets me to so much, or so easily for that matter. He just has an attitude that can unnerve me to no end.

"Whoa now, is it me, or is someone a little brassed off today?" Malfoy snorts.

That does it. I stare back at him with an angry glare that I know most people would run screaming from. I hate it when he takes my moods to be so hilarious, really. It's not like the half-wit knows anything about my life at all. But, all in all, what happened a couple nights ago is still too fresh on my mind to even keep this conversation going. I might just burst into tears right here and now, and unfortunately James never got around to lending me the invisibility cloak that he received from Uncle Harry. So now Malfoy's the only one stopping me from crying; it's not as if the first time I'm emotional in public I'd want him to be the one to see it. I decide the best way to play this off is ignoring him and defusing the situation. Maybe he will get the hint and forget about it…probably not, but it sure is worth a shot. So I sigh, letting him know I am through allowing him to get a laugh from me. He stops grinning, and in about two seconds he goes from having a sarcastic face to one of complete sombreness.

"Seriously? Rose, you never give up that easily. What's wrong? I know it's more than the fact that you're tired from having to be at the train station at six in the morning." Scorpius asks, as we now take the Express at a different time than my parents' day so that the first years don't have to wander around in the dark. At his _concern_ I heat up. Obviously I was completely off base with the 'leaving it be' if I ignored him. Ha, he's just like me. Now that is a scary thought. Yet all this doesn't deter me from the anger that begins to boil in me. I just want him to leave me alone.

"Nothing's wrong, ya git! I just need some space, alright?" I yell, and he backs off immediately. Nobody wants to cross Rose Weasley; something I know I shouldn't take pride in, but I do. I say it's always a learning experience for those around me really; they need to learn that they can't just butt into other people's lives.

Malfoy's torment stops and for the next thirty minutes we ride in the Hogwarts train in blissful silence.

I see him glance up at me, and I know instinctively that my precious peace and quiet is over. Trying to avoid rolling my eyes at him prematurely, I settle for glancing up with a single eyebrow arched up to show him that there is a fifty-fifty chance I will not bite his head off this time, but that I am still quite peeved. I don't really understand why I decided to give him another chance, but I do.

"Rose, I…I didn't mean to upset you—" Scorpius starts heavily, his tone careful but he's cut off by three boys and one girl entering our compartment. As the case always seems to be, the majority of them are my cousins.

Scorpius is no longer able to finish what he was going to tell me, and for that I'm glad. I don't want to be a bitch to him more than I have to, and I can see where that conversation would have led; straight to an argument that I would have won considering he actually apologised first. Also, despite what I feel about him when he's being infuriating, he can be quite nice sometimes... Hell, once upon a time I used to have a crush on the twerp! I'd never be caught dead saying that in front of the ever-vengeful Ronald Weasley however. Don't worry; I've grown up since then. Scorpius Malfoy and I can never be together, not that I would want it anyway; I have a boyfriend already.

I feel the tension in the compartment as my eldest cousin spots Malfoy. I know he will feel the need to have a go at him. I swear he's more my dad's kid than I am, as he is the only one in the Weasley-Potter family to carry a grudge against Malfoy. Though, there is a good chance that it's because they were both captains of their respective houses' Quidditch teams last year. Consequently, they were pitted against each other nearly every day. I'm hoping that this year that'll change as Scorpius stepped down after fifth year. The thing that annoys me the most is that James and Scorpius get along just fine when they're united with a common cause, such as the trio, Al, Scorpius, and James's infamous pranking, but when it comes to everyday life, they seem to hate each other. Also, Scorpius has spent a lot of time in the summer holidays with the Potter family, and has even made it to a few Weasley celebrations at the Burrow, and practically every other member in my family accepts him, that is, besides James when it comes to rivalry in Quidditch and my father. It really doesn't matter though; the two of them arguing is _so _something I do not need today.

"Malfoy," James Potter spits dangerously.

"All right there, James?" Malfoy says tiredly. He doesn't seem to be up for a fight after whatever exchange just went on between him and I, which surprises me.

"I would be if you weren't here," James scoffs.

I quickly become tired of this pseudo macho behaviour so I stand up.

"Leave off it, James. I'm not in the mood to watch you two squabble like children," I say, though I don't really expect him to shut up. Miraculously, he too is not in the mood to cross the red-hot-tempered Rose Weasley and shuts it. Score two for me!

To ease the obvious tension in the room, Albus Potter, Uncle Harry's other son, comes over to me with a happy grin on his face.

"Rosita! How are you?" Al asks as he sits down next to me. Rosita, which means 'little Rose' is what Al and James have called me ever since their growth spurt gave them a good six inches to tower over me. I hate it, but it's a lot better than some of the other nicknames they could come up with, I'm sure. For instance, my middle name is Holly, and before Rosita they used that against me to now end. '_Good Golly Miss Holly', 'Hi Holly Dolly' or 'Holly wanna a cracker?'_ were their favourite sayings_, _and the first time I had my first bit of Firewhiskey and got completely shit-faced, they wouldn't give up calling me 'Alcoholly' for weeks. Horrible, I know.

"Oh, you know, Al, pretty well," I say with a fake happy attitude. Malfoy rolls his eyes, but doesn't say anything. It still surprises me that he was able to tell I was in a mood while my cousins who are supposed to be closer to me couldn't.

"That's good," Al says apparently satisfied. "Oi! Malfoy! Why don't you come over here and sit?"

"Alright," Scorpius says, and moves to get up. He looks at me, and I meet his questioning grey eyes reluctantly; I know he's waiting for permission. These are the eyes that usually hold contempt for any person not in Slytherin, though according to Uncle Harry, his eyes aren't nearly as cold as his father's, but today they come as close to what I would define as warm. What's more incredible is that his eyes are warm to _me_. I incline my head just slightly, just to let him know he can sit by us as long as he doesn't reveal any of what previously went on. Al moves over, leaving room in between me and him, so Scorpius can sit down, which he does after our little exchange.

Albus and Scorpius have been mates since second year. They are basically best mates now, I guess. At first, he and Scorpius hated each other but that changed after they figured out they had quite a bit in common, such as being Sorted in Slytherin. Al had needed a friend; after all, he was the only one of the Weasley-Potter family to be put there. Al and Scorpius' initial bout of fighting got so bad one day that Auntie Ginny and Uncle Harry were sent for by the Floo system, same as Scorpius' parents, Draco and Astoria. After a stern talk with Uncle Harry, Al had no trouble befriending Scorpius, even if Draco didn't extend the same courtesy to Scorpius. I'm pretty sure that Draco just yelled at Scorpius and was on his way. I guess Uncle Harry has let bygones be bygones but Draco Malfoy hasn't quite come to that point yet. Much like my father, I might add. Even though he didn't encourage Scorpius to befriend Al like Uncle Harry did, I guess Al's an exceptional convincer when he wants to be.

My boyfriend, Andrew Belby, sits in the other seat next to me and takes my hand. It brightens my day a little to have him near again, but nothing really can fix what happened last night. So far, nobody knows about what has happened, and I'm not the type of person to want to talk about my problems, so it's going to stay that way.

Soon, but quickly enough for me to become sick of James and his none too subtle glares at Scorpius, we all arrive at Hogwarts. I get up and nearly topple everyone else over in my rush to get off the Express. Everyone stares at me in wonder as I exit the Express in a mad rush, but eventually they all get off too. Andrew tries to catch up with me, along with Scorpius. I really honestly don't think I can deceive either of them anymore so I turn around and let them have it.

"Can't you two just leave me alone? I need space, not a bloody body guard team. I just want to be by myself." I shouldn't have looked up at them. That was god awful. The stunned expression on Scorpius and Andrew's faces say it all. Rose Weasley is a total and complete bitch.

I run then, into the school and up to my Gryffindor common room. I'm panting after running the distance in a straight shot. _Wow, I really need to get in shape, _thinking remorsefully of Quidditch tryouts coming up.As I stop to catch my breath and try to summon a glass of water it hits me. Merlin, I forgot my handbag in the train compartment I was sitting in and if I wanted to go and get it, it would probably mean running into either of the boys I had been a complete jerk to, and more exercise. Damn. Neither of those sounds particularly appealing at the moment, so I decide to forgo the water and get it later. I know that one of my dear cousins would have seen it and brought it to a prefect at least, so I'm in no danger of it being on its way to London. It's not as if there is anything terribly important in it besides my wand. In any other place besides Hogwarts, I would be freaking out without my wand, but I've always felt protected in Hogwarts and unlike my Uncle Harry, never really have made enemies that would actually want to harm me, like Draco Malfoy. And besides, I think I can entertain myself without it for now. Maybe I'll even have a third victory today and someone will have even brought my handbag inside. It usually takes a couple of hours for everything to be sorted out anyway, and dinner in the Great Hall doesn't start for three more hours. Comfortable with this decision, I pull from my robes' pocket the book I meant to continue reading on the Express, but never got a chance with all the interruptions that kept happening.

For some reason, Muggle books about wizards and witches interest me, even if they are quite a laugh in some respect. Telekinesis and superpowers? As if. Though we do have some things they write about, such as teleportation (Apparition) and transformation (Animagi). The book is interestingly enough about a girl caught between two lovers; both equally as dangerous as the other to her because she's a human, but one capturing her heart and the other is her best friend. One of them comes from a dangerous family, and her best friend comes from the family that has been protecting the land from the other's family for centuries. Of course, the heroine has to choose between them. The reason I love these books is because I find the plot so unreal, and in a world where I live with magic all around me, it's nice to read about something that I can find so ridiculous.

An hour passes, and I really don't even notice the time fly so engrossed am I in my book. But suddenly, a faint voice arguing with who I know is the Fat Lady catches my attention. I open the portal a ways and see Scorpius Malfoy standing there. When he sees me, he turns a bright shade of red and chews on his bottom lip. It quite amuses me, but that thought is really far away from me because I'm really more confused than anything else.

"Rose! Er, uh, um, I was just trying to get the Fat Lady to let me in. I, um, I have your handbag. Don't worry! I didn't, er, look in it or anything," he stutters the whole time, his bright red face becoming even redder if possible and then stares at his apparently interesting feet.

"Pshaw, if I let just anybody in, I wouldn't be a good guardian, now would I?" The Fat Lady scoffs at the poor Slytherin.

At first I'm too shocked to say anything back to her, but then I regain my wits and I realise it would be incredibly rude not to help Malfoy out. "Well I'm here now, so please just let him in for goodness sakes!" I say impatiently.

"You know it would be absolute hysteria if I just let him in without it! And he didn't have anyone until now to help him out. Humph, everyone thinks now that the darkest wizard ever known has been dead for awhile they're all so safe," she rants, but swings forward to let Malfoy in regardless.

I stare at him as he comes inside and hands me my handbag. When he hands it to me, I realise I probably should take it, but I'm in too much shock to even do that. Why would he come up here, bringing to me something as trivial as my handbag, even if it does have my wand in it, after the horrible way I'd treated him? Andrew hadn't even made any effort to confront me after my explosion, and he certainly didn't come up here to talk to me. He knows it's generally better if I really am left alone after specifically saying I need space, so I can forgive him. Still… Malfoy? Really?

"Rose, I'm sorry if I was, well, too nosy earlier. Your life isn't any of my business. I was just worried. Can we just forget anything happened?" Malfoy asks cautiously.

"Um, Scorp, nothing _did _happen," I say, sarcastically. Wow, even after this, I'm _STILL _a complete bitch to him! What is wrong with me?

Though I didn't apologise, Scorpius takes the shortening of his name as a sign that all's well. He shoves my handbag into my hands, and turns around to leave but I stop him.

"Scorpius, I, um, thanks, I guess. You didn't have to go to all this trouble," I say, awkwardly.

"This may sound cheesy, Rose, but it was no trouble at all. Don't sweat it; I'll see you around, alright?" he says easily, apparently noticing that he was not the only one here who didn't quite know what to make of this situation. I guess that relaxes him or something.

I'm dumbfounded. People like Scorpius Malfoy don't just give in. He's just like me! Why is he being so easy going and so damned polite? Confused, but not wanting to linger on the exchange any longer, I head up to my room to unpack and get ready for dinner.


	2. Welcome Home

It's incredibly difficult for me to forget everything that has happened in the last couple of days for something as trivial as fixing my hair, but I do, mostly to avoid crying again. There's only so much that the _ocuaquafin_ spell can do for you and I'll be damned if I start to cry again. I tug on my hair, trying to figure out what to do with it. It's just so stubborn, like the rest of me. After twisting and turning my vivid red hair that falls in curls below my shoulder into various knots that never could have been accomplished without my wand; I settle on a high ponytail that frames my face. I peer at myself closely in the mirror and examine my face attentively. My dark blue eyes which used to always have a sparkle in them seem dead, but I choose to ignore that. I'm pale, just like the rest of the Weasley family, yet the one trademark that makes me scarily think I'm not related to the Weasley family at all is my lack of freckles. I literally have none. And trust me; I was teased for that for the _longest_ time.

'_I almost look sickly,' _I think to myself because it's true. My face is much paler than normal, and my eyes have lost their light. I have bags under my eyes and my face is somewhat blotchy, as if to remind me of all the time I have spent crying. _'You have an excuse you know, and if anyone asks, you can just tell them to shove it all up their arses because it isn't your fault that you're taking this so harshly,' _my inner conscience soothes. _'How else would anyone take this kind of news anyway? I'd like to see them try to handle it!' _Mollified, I bring my head up and see a flash of dignity cross my face. Yeah, that's complete rubbish. I know the situation is not one bit my fault. I'm Rose Weasley; I don't stand around feeling sorry about what life has dealt me.

The door opens loudly and one of the three students I share the dormitory with crashes in. "ROSE!" my cousin, Dominique squeals, even though she has just seen me a week ago.

Dominique Weasley, the second daughter of Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, is my best friend. She is also drop dead gorgeous, as sad as that makes me, because, yes, I definitely do petty too. However, she really does have an unfair advantage. Aunt Fleur's great-grandmother was a Veela, meaning that Dominique has the Veela heritage, something that will probably never get fully eradicated within her line, not even if she married a Muggle. She has waist-length, blonde-silvery hair and the blue Weasley eyes. Her eyes are pretty much the only thing that resembles me.

"Hey Dom!" I manage, trying to sound enthused. My new goal is that nobody finds out what has occurred, not even my closest friends, and especially not my cousin. She certainly has the reputation of a gossiper, not to mention that the news would definitely make her freak out. My conscience squirms at that, knowing that if I decided to confide in her about this she would take it seriously and try to give me advice on what to do. Dom's great that way and plus she probably wouldn't even deem it real gossip anyway; it's more just plain shocking than anything else. But all the same, I don't want to tell her. It's just because I'm still having an extremely difficult time accepting the news, and if I admit it's true then all of a sudden it's really happening. I'm just not ready to face that yet, I guess.

"Where were you on the Express?" Dom asks serenely, her demeanour graceful, but with that obnoxious, curious bubble as always. Like I said, I would trust her with my very life, but I can't stand opening up to people. My stomach drops lower with the realization that it will more than likely get worse this year. "I was with, erm…" I stutter, realizing that if I wanted this conversation to be over quickly, I should not introduce Malfoy into the fray. "I was with the Potters," I say truthfully.

"Was Scorpius there?" she asks me, her interest sparking. Dominique could have any guy at Hogwarts, yet she maintains that Scorpius Malfoy is the only guy fit for her. I personally think it's because her sister Victoire is with Teddy Lupin, who is also a very close family friend and another good friend of mine, and she wants to be as happy as her sister is with Teddy. I guess she thinks somehow that if she can snatch up the other guy who is basically a part of the Weasley-Potter clan as a whole, except for my father's opinions, her fate will be the same. The funny thing is that she only realised this during the past summer holiday. She couldn't so much as spare him a glance with her gorgeous eyes before then. Not that I care; I'm not close enough to Malfoy to care, nor do I want to be. However, I do think it's ridiculous. Scorpius has never so much as looked at her in more than a platonic way, not even after all the attention she gave him. It kind of gives me a smug satisfaction. For once, Dominique Weasley can't just get a guy by looking at him! I feel bad for thinking that, but with my not so amazing looks it's hard not to be jealous once in a while. I went through a similar phase of satisfaction when Andrew asked me to be his girlfriend, because even though Dom never fancied Andrew, I had got used to always being overlooked in her presence. It had felt very nice to be special to a guy. And trust me, I know I should try to talk her out of her weird obsession with Scorpius, but, as with me, there is no arguing with her. She's a Weasley after all. Besides, I really maintain that the whole issue goes deeper than the infuriatingly smug, blonde-haired boy anyway.

"Uh…maybe for a bit? I can't remember really. We, er… didn't speak much," I say, flat out lying to her now. If I had said he had spoken to me, even showed _concern_ towards me, I would never get out of here; she'd make me repeat everything he had said to me, not to mention telling her Scorpius had personally returned my handbag would not go over very well. I love Dom, but I really don't see why she can't just chill about the whole Scorpius thing. It'd be a lot easier if she could just be normal about it and try and make friends with him. Then again, by the time I was eleven, Victoire and Teddy were already stealing snogs at Platform nine and three-quarters, so maybe she feels like she doesn't have the time to go with the route of friendship first. Whatever, it's her funeral.

She sighs deeply, probably concentrating on one of her infinite steps in the "Six-Week Plan to Become Scorpius Malfoy's Girlfriend". Alright, alright! I'm being really unfair. To tell the truth, I don't really know why her interest, putting it lightly, bothers me. But soon it's off my mind because Dom speaks again, about something completely different now.

"Are you okay, Rose? You seem a little…off," she says with concern in her voice. Ugh, I don't know why she has to notice. I thought I was doing a bloody splendid job covering it up. Thankfully, I don't have to answer Dom's question as Ava Johnson wanders into the room.

She looks at us startled, as if we're out of place in the dormitory we all share. She's a socially awkward girl to be frank. She gets frightened easily and shies away from people. Anytime anyone speaks to her other than Dom or me, she jumps and backs away, like they intend to harm her. I think that must come from living with her aunt, which she does because her parents were killed by Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts. I'd bet anything that her aunt never lets her forget that and tells her to always be on the lookout for people who'd like nothing better than to hurt her, or she'll end up just like her parents. Paranoid, that aunt of hers is. Even when Ava is with Dom and me, she still acts shyly towards us, probably due to her aunt's mind poisoning. Pay no mind to the fact that we've shared a dormitory with her since first year. Her parents' deaths and her aunt's paranoia are touchy subjects for her though, so I never mention it.

Ava has blonde hair, but it borders between straight and curly, which leaves a good sized bump around her shoulders. Her eyes are pure emerald, and they reflect out the personality I think she has inside of her, which would show given the right tools. Isn't it said that one can do anything with the right tools? Her nose is slight and straight and her mouth pink and plump. She's shorter than me, thank God, but not nearly as short as my cousin, Lily Potter.

Lily is the third girl living with us in this room. Usually, they pair us with our same year, but it was a rare year both in her Sorting and in mine; in mine there were only four girls Sorted into Gryffindor in all, and in hers there were six. When Professor McGonagall asked if there would be anyone willing to move over to our dorm, Lily volunteered since most of us were her cousins. Additionally, McGonagall knew she wouldn't have a difficult time making new friends, since she's so much like her mum. So now the balance is _finally_ restored. Anyway, she hasn't made her appearance yet, and I doubt she will before dinner. Even though she is two years younger than us, Lily fits right in with Dom and me. She hasn't quite got the hang of talking to Ava yet. Like I said, Dom and I have shared the dormitory with Ava for the longest period of time, yet she doesn't open up to us either. Lily is her mother's daughter in every way, all the way to Aunt Ginny's brown eyes. It's not like they could ever be mistaken them for the piercing green ones Al inherited from Uncle Harry. Lily's attitude also is astonishingly like her mother's. Aunt Ginny is the most intense person I think I've ever met. She also happens to be my favourite aunt. I'm not trying to be mean; it's only because she's every bit as sarcastic and hot-tempered as me and so I can connect to her. I barely even talk to Aunt Fleur, or Aunt Angelina and I _especially_ try to avoid talking to Auntie Audrey as much as possible. Then again, so does pretty much everyone in the family. I mean, come on, she married Uncle Percy. And she's a carbon copy of him I think, in her demeanour at least. But also, I'm just generally closer to Aunt Ginny because she and Uncle Harry are best friends with my mum and dad.

Lily looks far more like a Weasley than I do; she has the more orange red hair that most of the Weasley children inherited, which often makes me think we had to have been switched sometime as children. Yes, I know that'd be impossible, but hey, I've got to have some explanation for why I look freakishly more related to the Potter side than she does. The thing with Lily is that she's like me; she's quite open to expressing her opinion on everything. However, unlike me, she's completely _nice_ about it. So when she tells you that you're wrong, you at least feel good about yourself afterwards because she generally adds a compliment in there somewhere. Maybe that's why Lily snagged a guy at an earlier age than I did. But I like my frankness, though my mother often complains it's rather unbecoming of me. To be fair though, let's not forget here who's been going out with a great guy for nearly two years.

Lily, Dom and I are all on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I think it's the first time that so many relatives have ever been on the same team except the brief stint where my dad played for a while with Uncle George and late Uncle Fred. Even that was only for around six months though, as the twins made the best parting that Hogwarts has ever seen, and will probably ever see. I guess Ministry influence can do that to people.

I'm one of the Beaters on the team. It's kind of my way to let off steam, because let's face it; someone very well pisses me off on a daily basis. Dom is our Seeker. She is amazing at it too because the other team's Seekers are all males and therefore, whether they want to or not, inevitably become distracted by Dom and her Veela appearance. As a result, she very nearly always catches the Snitch. The only time it doesn't work is when we play Slytherin. Guess who's the Seeker for them? Yeah, that's right, Malfoy. Yet either Dom doesn't see that, or she doesn't think about it. Lily is our Keeper and she's a damn good one at that. I've yet to see her let more than one goal in during a match. She has that blazing look of Aunt Ginny's whenever she's on the field, and nothing is too risky for her to stop the Quaffle.

Ava and Dom have started to prepare themselves for the Welcome Banquet now. Since the Headmistress changed the time the Hogwarts Express arrives, we all actually have time to get ready for the feast. And trust me, just about every girl takes advantage of the fact they don't make you wear the black robes to the first dinner by showing off their personal style. Ava just dresses into something she hopes won't attract much attention to her. It's a shame really, because when a girl is as pretty as Ava is, she should want to flaunt it. It really comes to this: Ava could be wearing a potato sack and guys would still notice her. She hates that though. Ava dresses herself in something that, although is not a potato sack, it surprisingly looks as if it could very well be a first cousin to it. I opt to keep my mouth shut this time though; I'm too frazzled with everything else to say anything.

Dom of course is the complete opposite of Ava. She thrives for the first day feast because to her, popularity in each House is determined by one wears during the Welcoming Feast. I'd say it's vain, except that I have to admit, I love to see what exactly she is going to come up with every year. This year, she dons a black and metallic gold, lacy, semi-sheared, ruffle collared long sleeve shirt, with dark faded jeans, and black, strappy pumps. It's a one of a kind Dominique Weasley ensemble. I look down pitifully at my own choice of clothes, which is a blue jumper that matches my eyes, a white scarf and dark jeans. Then again, I know because of the attenuating circumstances I didn't put much effort into my appearance. Though it's nothing compared to Dom's outfit, I think it suits me just perfect, and I've never been one for wanting to be the best looking girl at the Welcoming Banquet. I'm Dom's cousin and best friend, and since she always wears the best outfit, somehow I am included in the popular group just same. And it's not just me who thinks Dom wears the best outfit, it's the whole bloody school. I couldn't care less about that nonsense though. Lily is included in the group as well, as is Roxanne, another cousin of mine. She's Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's first born kid.

Molly and Lucy, the daughters of Uncle Percy and Auntie Audrey, are a completely different story though. They would rather keep themselves noticeable by Molly's Head Girl badge and Lucy's Prefect badge than engage in the 'petty fashion wars' as they liked to refer to it. Except, and nobody knows this save for me and the two of them, Lucy actually received her Prefect badge from me. I used to dream of being a Prefect and eventually becoming Head Girl, but when the letter didn't come for Lucy, she was actually frightened of what her dad might do, so she begged me to give it up to her. When Uncle Percy got the owl that said the 'situation' had been rectified, and that it was merely the school's mistake, he thought nothing more of it. In addition, being a Prefect is nothing like I thought it would be. Basically, you have to deal with really annoying people all the time and that just really isn't my thing. I just didn't want to have to handle them amongst everything else going on. And also, can you imagine having to let Molly boss me around? Plus, I now have unending power over them because they owe me. As for fake popularity that Dom receives from being 'best-dressed' and consequently, the popularity that I get as well, I don't really use it. I try to just be myself and I absolutely have no tolerance whatsoever for those who only pretend to be my friend because I'm her cousin. Yes, people pretend to be my friend because of that. How pathetic is that?

We hear the bustle and commotion of all the other Gryffindors downstairs and so, with a final swipe of mascara and with Dom hastily, yet gracefully, fasten on her dangling, metallic gold earrings, we all head down the stairs as well.

Started by Headmistress McGonagall, who succeeded Severus Snape after the Battle of Hogwarts, the first years are now sent on a tour, divided equally into groups that are led by the Head Boy and Girl and the Prefects. This is how the first years spent the majority of their time before the Sorting ceremony, and thankfully so. I remember when I was a first year and I set my little blue eyes on the enormous Hogwarts for the first time. I was so thankful when we were shown around. Without it, I think it would have been chaos. I don't know how they managed it in my parent's day, but, when everyone else arrives at the Great Hall, the first years are always waiting for us.

Headmistress McGonagall clears her throat and stands up when everyone has been seated. This always shuts everyone up, which I find amusing. I guess some people have that way about them. I usually end up screaming until my voice is raw to get anyone to listen to me. Basically that means when I'm with my family. I mean, who else would I need to yell at besides them?

I'm sandwiched right between Dom on my right and Andrew on my left. Andrew whispers a quick apology about not being sensitive enough earlier, and I lay my head down on his shoulder as he gives me a quick side squeeze. We know everything is forgiven. I try and find Malfoy's eyes, but am shocked to see them focused instead on Dom. He's looking at her in a way I've never seen him look at any other girl before, but I've seen that look trained on Dom so many times. He's completely smitten with her, along with half the male population at Hogwarts, and for some reason I _care._ I mean, I'm mostly happy, because I really do want Dom to be happy, and I know that it won't be long before Scorpius acts on his feelings towards Dom, but somewhere, deep, deep down inside I'm disappointed and a little bit annoyed. I chalk it up to knowing it's just because I know Dom's won over her guy once again, and it barely took her the summer to do it.

I sigh quietly, and Andrew asks me what's wrong. "Nothing! I'm just starved," I say quickly, heat rising to my cheeks as I am jerked out of my thoughts about Scorpius and Dom. What would I even say to Andrew? It would be quite weird for me to say that I'd been thinking about Dom's love life, and weirder still as it now apparently involves Scorpius.

At least my stomach agrees with my words. As much of a cover up as they may be, it doesn't mean they weren't truth. It growls, expectant for food. I forgot to eat the stash of Chocolate Frogs purchased from the trolley on the Express, after everything that had happened this afternoon. I sigh deeply again as I realise that the Sorting Hat has just begun its song. It's going to be a good while before we get to eat dinner. hhfdsgdgkd;lkg;lerkoerpgtg;dfkgdrk;ladfkldfklsdfklH

_I can tell you my story about when I was just a plain hat, yet so young and new. But what's more interesting is the journey that now I've been through. Patched, and such an old thing, I know I'm not too stunning now, not anything like the ladies of Hogwarts. I can't do a lot of things, but some consider what I do to be the most important job of all. I can read anything about you when you don me, so don't even try and hide. I'm not saying this to scare any of you so don't fret, nor worry, but just know that where I place you, it's for a good reason._

_If I put you in Gryffindor, I'm thinking you're strong and brave. Chivalrous, daring and blessed with great nerve is how you're seen. You help all those out in need without any hesitation, without any thoughts of yourself. You will face all that comes your way, without any hesitation at all, nor conflicted feelings. It is how you act that will define you in this House._

_If I put you in Hufflepuff, I'm thinking you're kind and gentle. Tender, calm, and blessed with great compassion is how you're seen. You find the best in all people and are loved for that. Stay true, loyal and a fierce friend and it will get you far. It will be the kindness this House shows that will strengthen the binds for all._

_If I put you in Ravenclaw, I'm thinking you're witty and intelligent. Clever, smart and blessed with the ability to find solutions to every problem, and to think in all ways, not just in smarts, but perhaps like some in the past, looking at everything in a different way. It is how you use your gifted minds that will identify you as a one._

_Last, but never least, if I put you in Slytherin, I'm thinking you're cunning and sly. Wily, tricky, yet purposeful is how you're seen. It's one of the most well known houses for achieving their goals, so expect to reach high if you are put here. Craftiness and using any means to get what they want, stick true to the friends you find, because they will be the most useful of all._

_Now that I've told the tale of the Houses, it's your turn to tell me a story about this generation of Hogwarts; the noble heroes from the past have brought forth brave new ones. Young and old we all can unite, we can stand together! Every House has its duty to be a part of our unity, but there will be one who stands out among them all to lead us in this time of trouble to come. _

_Trust your friends and trust them true, for if you can't count on them to be there beside you there will be no victory at all. It is a time to unite as a school once more to stand up to whatever may come. _

Then, just as abruptly as the song had begun, it ends. As the first years make their way up to be Sorted, I think about how the song had talked about all of us this year. It doesn't usually have that piece at the end. Usually, the Sorting Hat talks about its own history, and the attributes of each of the Houses. It's been that way ever since I've been attending Hogwarts. And what did it mean, we needed to band together? I mean, yeah, okay, the Houses are pretty competitive about things like Quidditch and House points, but I personally think that since the kids of the Second War heroes have started attending Hogwarts, there has been more House unity than ever.

I mean, Uncle Harry's own son, Albus, is in Slytherin, and Scorpius really isn't like his father, Draco, as much as I try to convince myself otherwise. James and Al are best of friends, even though they are in the most rivalling Houses of all time. We're pretty good friends with Neville's daughter, Miranda who is in Hufflepuff, like her mother was. And we actually talk to the Scamander twins, though it's true that they have quite taken after their mother, Aunt Luna. Even though she isn't our aunt, that's what Hugo, the Potters, and I call her. This is a lot better than most who don't dare to talk them at all. Lily is even going out with Lysander Scamander, and so that helped all of us interacting with them as well. But they're in Ravenclaw for a reason, just like the Sorting hat said, right? I mean, their mother was too, even though she was thought to be quite loony. She was just smart in her own way, and perceived things in a way that nobody else at Hogwarts had. So I don't really understand what the Hat meant by standing together, but I guess it never really gives a warning to the school without a good reason.

While I am contemplating all of this, Minerva McGonagall, our Headmistress, stands up to make her speech. She's talking now about how excited she is about the start of a new school year, and she explains the House points system to the new first years. She then continues to go over the rules, telling the student body that Filch would like it to be known that the Forbidden Forest is, indeed, forbidden to all, and this and that has been officially been banned.

"As always," she finishes, "a full list of rules will be posted on his door for those who wish to read them."

Then, just as I had thought that everything she said was going to be the same again this year; she makes another statement.

"Now I'd like to invite Mr. Filch to come up here to announce something to you all. Please give him your full attention as you would me."

With that, Filch walks slowly over to the podium, shuffling his feet across the floor, making it very obvious that he isn't at all comfortable with what he's about to do. I feel kind of sorry for him now, though I don't much care for the man myself. He begins his speech shakily, but grows stronger as he continues.

"Though I have loved bein' a' Hogwarts ter discipline all the trouble makers 'ere… Yea' I'mma talkin' 'bout you, 'n you, n'you… Erm, anyway, I'll be retiring this 'un year and findin' a suitable, er, replacement fer my post as Hogwarts fines' Caretaker. I'm leavin' on account of the missus wanting me at home now," he says, meaning Madam Pince who was the librarian in my parent's day and had married Filch after the Battle. Even though I'm sure Filch would do anything for that woman, who he loves more than he did his old cat, Mrs. Norris, who died when I was a first year, I can detect a trace of sadness in his voice. Yet as soon as he is done, he doesn't hesitate to basically book it off the stage.

James makes a noise of disbelief. He's probably quite miffed at this. He'll think it's not fair that Filch is leaving next year, and as he's a Seventh Year, he is pissed off that he can't be the one to train in the new guy. I guess Al will have to fulfil the post for him.

As for me, I'm almost too shocked that Filch managed to complete his speech without either fainting, running away, or scaring all the little first years half to death. I guess he really was as nervous as he let on.

Then, finally, the blessed food appears on the table and I practically gorge myself. Though I wasn't actually thinking about being starved when Andrew had caught me thinking, it was the truth when I told him I was quite hungry.

After dinner, the Prefects and the Heads of Houses round up all the first year students, and the rest of us are free to do whatever we want until lights out.

James and Al race over to the Quidditch pitch sign-out sheet. The both of them are captains. This is Al's first year as Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team as Malfoy gave it up so he could focus more on school or something like that. I'd never give up being Captain for something like school. Then again, maybe he didn't do as well on his OWL's last year as I did. I'm smug at the fact that I somehow inherited the Weasley skill for Quidditch, and my mother's brains, which got me an OWL in just about every subject. Since it's now brother against brother in the two best teams at Hogwarts, Al's determined to win the Quidditch Cup this year because Gryffindor has beaten Slytherin every year since I've been here. I laugh at this as if it doesn't mean anything to me, but inside, I'm rooting for James. We need to beat Slytherin, just because if we don't, there's no way Malfoy or Al will let me or anyone else on the Gryffindor team forget it.

Dom is talking to Scorpius, or rather flirting quite shamelessly, and they walk off together. I don't even want to dwell on what will probably end up happening next. Scorpius catches my eye before he heads out, and he winks at me. I make a disgusted face, and turn to Andrew.

"What do you want to do?" I ask, hoping he'll have some ideas, because I'm really not capable of doing any of the thinking right now.

"I kind of just want to take a walk, Rose, if that's okay? Could we take a walk around the lake for a bit?" he asks, and takes my hand. I agree mutely, and we make our way out of the castle.


End file.
